Support is requested for the Gordon Conference on Lipid Metabolism, which will be held at Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, New Hampshire, June 20-24, 1983. This conference is intended to extend the frontiers of science by fostering free and informal exchange of information among scientists interested in the properties of lipid molecules, especially in relationship to fundamental mechanisms of membrane biosynthesis. This conference will bring together not only the leading experts on the chemistry and metabolism of lipids, but also a variety of molecular and cellular biologists whose interests are relevant to the membrane biogenesis problem. Consequently, the conference will involve people who do not ordinarly attend the same meetings, creating an environment for the development of new concepts and experimental approaches. In all cases, the scheduled speakers have been selected on the basis of their excellence in research and the presentation of significant new advances. Participation of excellent foreign contributors has also been encouraged in conjunction with a selected program of posters. The conference will emphasize the use of bacterial and somatic cell genetics to probe the metabolic regulation, topography, subcellular movement and biological function of lipid molecules. At the same time, the presence of experts in the fields of membrane protein assembly and lipid-protein interactions will make it possible to view lipid synthesis and function in the broader context of membrane biogenesis.